week1: Historical and Theoretical Background of the Public / Private Controversy

Museums both benefit and suffer from the tension and co-operation between the public and private spheres of culture. Often established or enriched by private donations, they are dominantly public institutions, financed by taxpayer money and directed by state administration. While large national museums tend to conform closer to governmental guidelines, flexible museums of contemporary art increasingly integrate private initiatives in funding and in curatorial content alike. From private foundations to corporate art awards, a growing spectrum of competitive institutions of contemporary art also forces museums to adopt new collection strategies and exhibition schemes. This first lecture, in a line of three, will look at earlier models of the public / private relationship in modern museum history as well as at the structural, theoretical foundations of why and how public / private museums engage in contemporary art.

week 2: Museums and Cultural Policy: Case Studies from Eastern Europe

Lecture II of the series concentrates on public museums of contemporary art from two points of view. First, their ties to the central and local governments are examined. Why do governments finance the representation of the art of the present in institutions that are supposed to be the custodians of the past? And once they do so, what specific canonisation guidelines do these state bureaucracies try to force upon museums? Second, in selecting the examples and case studies to illustrate these issues, this lecture will have a geographic focus - on Central and Eastern Europe. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), the notions of contemporary art and of public museums have been severally re-defined in this region. The as many as twenty independent states, plus a giant on its own, Russia, in this vast terrain from the Baltic Sea to the Balkans, boast today some quite progressive museums (for instance in Poland, Slovenia and Croatia), along with numerous examples where national governments restrict the professional autonomy of museums and other institutions of contemporary art.

The current economic crisis highlights the importance of private institutions of contemporary art by proving that in times of scarce public budgets - and often of conservative governmental cultural policies - private initiatives may provide a financially and politically welcome alternative to monolithic state museums. This lecture will present the leading private collections of contemporary art in Central and Eastern Europe and the private museums, with their often spectacular architecture, that have been born of these collections, from Prague to St. Petersburg. Next to individuals, the "private" label also covers companies, whose awards and prizes, such as the Strabag Prize, the Young Visual Artists Awards and the projects funded by the Vienna-based Transit Network, are instrumental for the development of contemporary art in the region.

Gábor Ébli:

Gábor Ébli, born 1970 in Budapest, earned a PhD in Aesthetics from Eotvos University, Hungary and one in History from the University of Sydney, Australia. A former Fulbright grantee to New York and a Research Fellow at the Institute for Art History at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 2002 to 2005, he now teaches at the Institute for Theoretical Studies at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (MOME). As Head of the MA programme in Art and Design Management, he focuses his research and teaching on international issues of museums and private collecting. Jury member of the Austrian based Essl Art Award Central and Eastern Europe, which promotes emerging artists from Prague to Istanbul, he specialises on institutions of contemporary art in this region.

Curators Connection – a unique residency programme for emerging curators to gain a comprehensive insight and network in Vienna and Budapest

9 October-31 November 2013

Curators Connection is an intensive 8 weeks programme that looks directly at the roles and responsibilities of curators as mediators between artists, objects, institutions, experiences and audiences. The main focus is on contemporary conditions of display and the understanding of issues and institutions affecting contemporary art. Curators Connection aims to foster interesting dialogues on issues surrounding curation and takes a wide perspective in the inquiry into what constitutes “the curatorial” in the Central European region and particularly in Vienna and Budapest today.

The Programme is designed for emerging curators and students who expect to work in the contemporary-art field. It is intended to familiarize participants with current trends in practice and to provide opportunities to explore the cultural functioning of curating and its relation to exhibitions, institutions, audiences, aesthetics and display culture.

The residents spend three weeks in Vienna and five weeks in Budapest. Throughout this intensive 8 weeks period participants expand their professional practice by conducting in-depth investigations of contemporary exhibitions, getting introduced to case studies of leading curators and their engagements, taking part in artist’s studio visits and self -management workshops. Moreover, participants are exposed to the practical and theoretical Best Practices of the leading contemporary art museums, galleries and fairs, such as the Vienna Art Fair and the Budapest Art Market. The program offers participants a unique chance to develop project ideas, conduct research of their particular interests, make connections and discussions with professionals of the leading contemporary art events and organisations of Vienna and Budapest and forging new networks internationally. The residency denouement is the development of a publication and the curation of a display or a lecture of a case study.

Programme datesResidency period: from 9th October to 31 November 2013Duration: 8 weeks/ 40 hours per weekApplication deadline: 30th August 2013

Application10–15 applicants will be selected to participate in the Curators Connection. The Programme is international, open to any nationalities. English will be used as the working language therefore, a strong English knowledge is required. All applicants must fill the application form and include a description of their professional background, motivation to take part in the Programme and special field of interest.To apply, and for the application form, please visit www.cartc.hu website.

FeeThe Programme fee is 1.400 €.The fee includes the use of office facilities, entry fees of museums and special events and public transport in Budapest and Vienna. It covers as well the production costs of the final show and the publication. Travel and accommodation expenses are NOT included.

The Programme is organised by BlockFrei (Vienna) and cARTc space and project of contemporary art (Budapest).

Curators Connection – a unique residency programme for emerging curators to gain a comprehensive insight and network in Vienna and Budapest

9 October-31 November 2013

Curators Connection is an intensive 8 weeks programme that looks directly at the roles and responsibilities of curators as mediators between artists, objects, institutions, experiences and audiences. The main focus is on contemporary conditions of display and the understanding of issues and institutions affecting contemporary art. Curators Connection aims to foster interesting dialogues on issues surrounding curation and takes a wide perspective in the inquiry into what constitutes “the curatorial” in the Central European region and particularly in Vienna and Budapest today.

The Programme is designed for emerging curators and students who expect to work in the contemporary-art field. It is intended to familiarize participants with current trends in practice and to provide opportunities to explore the cultural functioning of curating and its relation to exhibitions, institutions, audiences, aesthetics and display culture.

The residents spend three weeks in Vienna and five weeks in Budapest. Throughout this intensive 8 weeks period participants expand their professional practice by conducting in-depth investigations of contemporary exhibitions, getting introduced to case studies of leading curators and their engagements, taking part in artist’s studio visits and self -management workshops. Moreover, participants are exposed to the practical and theoretical Best Practices of the leading contemporary art museums, galleries and fairs, such as the Vienna Art Fair and the Budapest Art Market. The program offers participants a unique chance to develop project ideas, conduct research of their particular interests, make connections and discussions with professionals of the leading contemporary art events and organisations of Vienna and Budapest and forging new networks internationally. The residency denouement is the development of a publication and the curation of a display or a lecture of a case study.

Programme datesResidency period: from 9th October to 31 November 2013Duration: 8 weeks/ 40 hours per weekApplication deadline: 30th August 2013

Application10–15 applicants will be selected to participate in the Curators Connection. The Programme is international, open to any nationalities. English will be used as the working language therefore, a strong English knowledge is required. All applicants must fill the application form and include a description of their professional background, motivation to take part in the Programme and special field of interest.To apply, and for the application form, please visit www.cartc.hu website.FeeThe Programme fee is 1.400 €.The fee includes the use of office facilities, entry fees of museums and special events and public transport in Budapest and Vienna. It covers as well the production costs of the final show and the publication. Travel and accommodation expenses are NOT included.

The Programme is organised by BlockFrei (Vienna) and cARTc space and project of contemporary art (Budapest).

week1: Historical and Theoretical Background of the Public / Private Controversy

Museums both benefit and suffer from the tension and co-operation between the public and private spheres of culture. Often established or enriched by private donations, they are dominantly public institutions, financed by taxpayer money and directed by state administration. While large national museums tend to conform closer to governmental guidelines, flexible museums of contemporary art increasingly integrate private initiatives in funding and in curatorial content alike. From private foundations to corporate art awards, a growing spectrum of competitive institutions of contemporary art also forces museums to adopt new collection strategies and exhibition schemes. This first lecture, in a line of three, will look at earlier models of the public / private relationship in modern museum history as well as at the structural, theoretical foundations of why and how public / private museums engage in contemporary art.

week 2: Museums and Cultural Policy: Case Studies from Eastern Europe

Lecture II of the series concentrates on public museums of contemporary art from two points of view. First, their ties to the central and local governments are examined. Why do governments finance the representation of the art of the present in institutions that are supposed to be the custodians of the past? And once they do so, what specific canonisation guidelines do these state bureaucracies try to force upon museums? Second, in selecting the examples and case studies to illustrate these issues, this lecture will have a geographic focus - on Central and Eastern Europe. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), the notions of contemporary art and of public museums have been severally re-defined in this region. The as many as twenty independent states, plus a giant on its own, Russia, in this vast terrain from the Baltic Sea to the Balkans, boast today some quite progressive museums (for instance in Poland, Slovenia and Croatia), along with numerous examples where national governments restrict the professional autonomy of museums and other institutions of contemporary art.

The current economic crisis highlights the importance of private institutions of contemporary art by proving that in times of scarce public budgets - and often of conservative governmental cultural policies - private initiatives may provide a financially and politically welcome alternative to monolithic state museums. This lecture will present the leading private collections of contemporary art in Central and Eastern Europe and the private museums, with their often spectacular architecture, that have been born of these collections, from Prague to St. Petersburg. Next to individuals, the "private" label also covers companies, whose awards and prizes, such as the Strabag Prize, the Young Visual Artists Awards and the projects funded by the Vienna-based Transit Network, are instrumental for the development of contemporary art in the region.

Gábor Ébli:

Gábor Ébli, born 1970 in Budapest, earned a PhD in Aesthetics from Eotvos University, Hungary and one in History from the University of Sydney, Australia. A former Fulbright grantee to New York and a Research Fellow at the Institute for Art History at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 2002 to 2005, he now teaches at the Institute for Theoretical Studies at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (MOME). As Head of the MA programme in Art and Design Management, he focuses his research and teaching on international issues of museums and private collecting. Jury member of the Austrian based Essl Art Award Central and Eastern Europe, which promotes emerging artists from Prague to Istanbul, he specialises on institutions of contemporary art in this region.

During his four meetings Nicola Trezzi will present the art scene in four different countries: Indonesia, Sweden, Romania and Israel. These presentations will summarize several trips made by Trezzi in the aforementioned countries with focus on Yogyakarta in Indonesia, Stockholm in Sweden, Cluj-Napoca in Romania and Tel Aviv in Israel. Furthermore these presentations will try to embrace the entire artistic community, which means considering not only the work of the artists but also curators, gallery owners and collectors. Through this "enlarged" scope Trezzi will try to give a deeper idea of the situation in a reality that is not only globalized but also ever more interconnected and de-centralized. At the same time each session will always underline the connections with this so-called "peripheral" countries and the mainstream. The mainstream will be mostly New York, where Trezzi is currently based.